Arts, Briefly

Compiled by Lawrence Van Gelder

Published: June 29, 2006

Dead Shark Not Aging Well

Has Damien Hirst's famous shark in formaldehyde outlived its youthfulness? Because the work has deteriorated sharply since first seen at the Saatchi Gallery in London in 1992, Mr. Hirst is in discussions with the owner to replace it, The Art Newspaper reported. Not only is the shark's skin showing signs of wear and tear, but the fish has also changed shape, and the solution surrounding it has become murky, the newspaper said. The piece, titled ''The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, 1991,'' was commissioned by the British collector Charles Saatchi from Mr. Hirst for £50,000 (now about $91,000) and was sold to the American hedge fund manager Steve Cohen in 2004 for a reported $11.85 million. In a statement Mr. Hirst's company, Science Ltd., said, ''Damien will happily help to refurbish as he would with any of his works that are over 10 years old.'' Larry Gagosian, the gallery owner who brokered the 2004 deal, said: ''The shark is a conceptual piece and to substitute a shark of equal size and appearance, in my opinion does not alter the piece. Steve Cohen is very happy with the piece and is not troubled at all with having to substitute it.''

Toronto 'Rings' to Close

''The Lord of the Rings,'' the $24-million musical adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkein's fantasy trilogy, will end its run on Sept. 3 at the Princess of Wales Theater in Toronto, where it began an open-ended engagement on March 23. The producers announced last week that the show would begin performances in May 2007 at the Theater Royal Drury Lane in London.

Sleater-Kinney Bows Out

The acclaimed rock trio Sleater-Kinney, above, will call it quits after finishing its summer commitments. ''After 11 years as a band, Sleater-Kinney have decided to go on indefinite hiatus,'' said an announcement on the group's Web site, www.sleater-kinney.com. ''The upcoming summer shows will be our last. As of now, there are no plans for future tours or recordings.'' Sleater-Kinney will play at Webster Hall in Manhattan on Aug. 2 and give its final performance at Lollapalooza in Grant Park in Chicago on Aug. 4.

BET Winners

Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, Jamie Foxx and Chris Brown had their hands full when the Black Entertainment Television Awards were announced on Tuesday in Los Angeles. Each won two awards, The Associated Press reported. Ms. Blige, below, was named top female R&B artist and, in a tie, shared the prize for video of the year with Mr. West and Mr. Foxx. She won for ''Be With You,'' featuring Terrence Howard, who was named best actor. Mr. West and Mr. Foxx took video honors for ''Gold Digger,'' also chosen as best collaboration. Mr. Brown was named best new artist and honored as viewer's choice for ''Excuse Me Miss.'' The BET Award winners are chosen by a panel of executives from entertainment companies, record labels and news media, but the Viewer's Choice award is decided by fans voting online.

Wagner in Aix-en-Provence

Wagner's ''Ring'' cycle will be heard at the Aix-en-Provence festival for the first time, beginning this year, when the event, in its 58th year, opens on Sunday in southern France, Agence France-Presse reported. The Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Simon Rattle, right, will usher in the four-year cycle with ''Das Rheingold,'' in a staging by the French director St?ane Braunschweig to be seen next year in Salzburg. This year's arts festival will pay homage to Mozart, born 250 years ago in Salzburg, and to a native son, C?nne, who died 100 years ago. On Wednesday, Sir Simon and the Berlin Philharmonic will be heard in a free performance of Mahler's Fifth Symphony at the foot of Mont Sainte-Victoire, featured in more than 80 C?nne paintings.

Book Removal Delayed

A Federal judge in Miami has ordered the Miami-Dade Country school district not to remove a series of children's books from its libraries until arguments against the removal can be heard next month, The Associated Press reported. Invoking the students' rights to a free press and due process, the American Civil Liberties Union sued last week to prevent the district from clearing the shelves of 25 titles, including one about Cuba that depicts smiling youngsters in uniforms of the country's youth organization. Judge Alan Gold scheduled the next hearing for July 21.

Axl Rose, Sober and Fined

Axl Rose, the lead singer of Guns N' Roses, was released from a Stockholm jail after 11 hours on Tuesday, Agence France-Presse reported. The police said that when he sobered up, he admitted to assaulting and biting a security guard in the lobby of his hotel and agreed to pay a fine of $5,430 and compensation of $1,360 to the guard. The incident took place after a concert and a night of partying.